Twilight Eternity
by Noir Fenix
Summary: AU: As the Infection spreads, Kite needs all the help he needs. While on the other hand, Morganna plots to use unconventional ways to get Aura, and at the same time, a shadowy figure attacks out of nowhere.
1. Chapter 1

**Twilight Eternity**

AU: As the Infection spreads, Kite needs all the help he needs. While on the other hand, Morganna plots to use unconventional ways to get Aura, and at the same time, a shadowy figure attacks out of nowhere.

A/N: This is an AU, so expect some twists in the basic storyline. Story happens together with //INFECTION

_I just stood there in the middle of the field; gusts of wind, rain drops continuously blew on to my face. Dark clouds circled and covered the sky; plants and trees withered. Then, I heard footsteps_

…_thump…thump…thump…_

_I clenched my staff on my left and my sword at my right; both of them tightly._

…_thump…thump…thump…_

_Whoever…Whatever it is, its getting closer…My heart beats at least three times for ever foot step…_

**Chapter One: Striking At Dawn**

"**Ah!" I shouted as I woke up from my uneasy slumber.** Gasping for air, I wondered what the heck happened. I've been have that same dream for a couple of days straight now. I calmed down and looked at my alarm clock, 5:57a.m. _Almost time to get up anyway…_

I stood up and fixed my bed then stretched a bit. I yawned as I walked in to the bathroom and washed my face. I wiped the excess water off my face and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

Deep at thought, I tried to figure it out, _what the heck was that all about anyway?_ I tried to force the thought out by just continuing with my daily routine. I changed out from my PJs to my regular clothes; a plain white T-shirt with a blue vest unzipped, a black pair of jeans, and my 'white' sneakers. I took a look at my cellphone incase of any messages, and then pocketed it.

I ran down the stairs and went into the kitchen. I dug into the cabinets for the some cereal and got some milk from the fridge, took a bowl and spoon. I sat down on the dinning table, as I was gonna take the first bite, another guy stormed into the room, took a spoon and cup and started to prepare himself some coffee.

"Yo! Aaron where ya going? " I asked as I took a bite of my cereal

"Work, don't bother wait for me tonight, I'll probably be late…" he said as he poured some hot water into his cup

"Hmm, Natalie right?" I grinned

"Shut up…Twerp" he stirred and then took a sip from his coffee "so what are gonna be doin'?"

"Oh nothing you need to mess up for me…" I said taking the last spoon of my cereal then brought it to the sink and started washing my bowl. Aaron raised an eyebrow then took the last gulp of his coffee.

"Y'mind washing this too?" he gave his cup to me

"Whatever…"

"Thanks…" he said "…and oh yeah, congrats on being the newest Weapons Master." he said, and before I knew it, he already left.

I shrugged and just continued washing.

The Weapons Master class is the ultimate class that that enables a player, not only to use any type of weapon, but to make use of the weapon in any way he desires to (Ex: Using two Blade Master weapons on each hand). Although nothing like that is simple to get. It has a demanding requirement: being level 90+; a weapon level of 50+; and search for the "Bangle of Masters" (an item that should be kept at the inventory) by the way, this is an extremely rare item. After that's been done, they will have to get a certain stone found in one of the specially made monsters that serves as a key to the Gott Statue holding the scroll of mastery that activate the special effect of the bangle that confirms the class change. The participant must open the chest within the given time limit with risk of their character being deleted. So far, there have been only three who've become Weapons Masters, and I'm the fourth. The NPC supervising the event said that it was too close for comfort; he said that I only had 0.014 seconds left…

Oh yeah I forgot to introduce myself;

Character Name: Azakust or just Zak

-Level 15 Weapons Master

-preferred weapon combination: Sword and Staff

-REAL NAME: Ashley Nicole Dela Oyan for short Ash

-AGE: 17

-Date registered: December 31, 2007, 4:53p.m.

Starting since last year, a lot of strange stuff has been happening in The World. Monsters that can't be beaten; that issue with the Wave Master; constant errors that always end up with being disconnected from the game and a lot more. The CC Corp. says that it was Helba and her subordinates who were the main cause of all this mess; but I smell a cover up.

I walked back into my room, and I looked at my computer. _Practice is this afternoon anyway…A few hours won't hurt…at least until Seiah comes…_

I opened my computer and checked my mail, a few from some of my friends. But these two got my attention:

-Subject: Please…

Your fate waits at the girl's sanctuary…

_Fate…? Girl's Sanctuary…? What the…?_ I thought

Then there was the second one:

-Subject: -no subject-

_Theta: Soft Organ Market Pilgrimage_

_A key word?_ I thought, and then I decided to Login.

---NETWORLD---

**I warped into the field of Theta: Soft Organ Market Pilgrimage; I looked up at the dark sky, _weird choice of field…_I thought.**

I sighed; _I wonder what this one's all about…_ I thought. Ever since I became a Weapons Master, a lot of chumps have been challenging me and always having their faces embedded on the nearby wall or on the pavement and sometimes in a well.

Then I sensed movement nearby, I saw a shadow but suddenly a gust of wind blew. The shadow disappeared, in looked around then started to concentrate; I just stood there in the middle of the field; gusts of wind and rain drops continuously blew on to my face.

Dark clouds circled and covered the sky; plants and trees withered. Then, I heard footsteps

…thump…thump…thump…

I clenched my staff on my left and my sword at my right; both of them tightly.

…thump…thump…thump…

Whoever…Whatever it is, its getting closer…My heart beat at least three times for ever foot step…

Then they got faster, I turned to the direction where the footsteps came from, but the footsteps stopped and nothing was there…

Then I felt a presence behind me, I turned around…

Our blades met…

The dark figure was still unclear, as soon as we crossed blades, he disappeared again. "What the…"

I turned to my right a there was the first strike; I flew back a bit…then rolled on the ground for a short distance. I picked myself up; I got a small glimpse of my attacker, a lightly clothed black Twin Blade or Long Arm; his blades were shaped like boomerangs; he had a long scar on his face and a V-shaped visor shielded his eyes and held up his dark red hair. He threw one of his blades at me; I narrowly evaded it, resulting to a small scratch on the side of my face. The boomerang returned to him; he then suddenly switched to a halberd, _How the- Who the- _My thoughts kept trailing off each time he attacked me.

The longer I kept fighting him the more he gave me a chill along my spine, "Who the heck ARE you?" I pushed him back then he disappeared again, I looked around then found him uphill with his head bowed down. I was getting pissed off already, "TELL ME ALREADY!" he raised his head. Then my character stopped I noticed he did some hand gestures as I started to let go of my weapons. With my limbs spread out, I was open for a hit, and as expected he threw his two blades at me. I cried out…the pain…I don't get it…how do I feel pain when this is virtual reality? This is just a mere game…but why?

"C-rap…" I groaned every part of my body hurt, just like as if it was burning.

Then he aimed his hand at me, sprites started to form around his wrist and formed a huge bracelet of some kind. A beam of light shot out of the bracelet and hit me. I screamed my lungs out then fell down.

A/N: For every time that a line is bolded out (like what follows) the POV changes.

"**Where is that kid?" I stood atop of the steep hill.**

I looked at the desktop clock, it displayed the time at 2:30. I was starting to worry, _that kid never comes late but where is he now?_ I paced back and forth.

I took of my goggles and sighed and then looked out of my window. The full moon shun brightly above the city of Tokyo, despite the bright lights that the city gives off at night. It didn't really affect the moon's luminosity.

I rubbed my temples then went back to the game. He still wasn't there, if he couldn't come he should have sent an e-mail or any way of contact but there was nothing.

**I plopped down on to my bed, "Practice was rough…" I groaned.**

I wished that Ash was there, it would have been much easier. I'd rather get sermons from our geezer of a Math teacher than that drill sergeant of a coach shout at my ear. Oh 300 push ups; 300 sit ups; and 50 laps around the school would've been fine…I you were A GUY!

'_If any of you low lifes won't get a shot in, you're gonna give me FIVE…'_

'…_HUNDRED PUSHUPS!'_

I sat back, no matter how painful my body was, and then I looked into my backpack, "Now where was that…" I ransacked my backpack, and then I brought out a CD case. On the CD it was labeled 'The World'; it was given to me by Ash though Vincent. And I also got 'neuro goggles' as it was called together with the controller. I never understood why more than 80 of our school's population, plays this game including some girls…at free time, they either talk about shopping, movies, boys, or The World…

Some of them say it's an alternate way of meeting new people; others for excitement; but most of all, to pass time. I always see its commercial on TV, posters and ads, and anyway Ash introduced it to me…so I decided to give it a shot.

"Installment Complete." A message box displayed

"Alright…" I took the neuro goggles and controller, and then I stopped. I had a problem…

"Where do I connect this to?" I said, yeah…I suck when it comes to computers; hardware or software, there's no difference…

"Oh…it's to the game port then…"

I read out the instruction out of the manual that came with the CD case. "…where's that?"

I finally had everything set up - without burning the house down or electrocuting myself. I opened the patch and started the registration…

After all the personal data was settled "…now a name…"

User Name: Seiah

Character Name:

_Hmmm…what should I put in?_ I thought, _Based on my name…be original…I got it._

Character Name: Seianne

"Alright…I'm in…"

**I woke up; I think I was still at Theta: Soft Organ Market Pilgrimage at that time. **

I groaned, picking up myself up. I dusted off the mud on my clothing, everything was a blur…

…rain

…the field

…the mail

…the twin blade

That Twin Blade!

I gripped my weapons and cautiously looked around, seeking for a presence. There was nothing.

I sighed in relief, and then when I realized I had nothing else to do in that field, I left.

**I warped into something that looked like a town, filled with a flurry of people.**

I tried to fit in with the crowd, and then I met up with another player. He brought me to a sort of secluded alley, "You're a newbie right?" he asked. He seemed to be experienced; he held an elegantly made lance. His red long hair paired with yellow eyes matched the blue clothing he wore.

"Uh…excuse me?"

"A newbie…A noob…"

"?"

"Yup, you're a noob…"

"Uh…excuse me but I have to -"

"Hey, there's no need to rush, we didn't get to know each other yet…" he blocked my only escape way. "So where do you live? Do you live around Tokyo?"

"Uh…no…I"

"Hey, what's your name? Is Seianne your real name…? Maybe we could see each other…"

"I...uh…" I wasn't really sure of what to say…hey, I'm just new here…

"Hey…" a voice said, we both looked at the direction of where the voice came from. A silhouette was only visible, "…tell me if this guy is bothering you…"

"Crap…" the lance wielder said then warped away. The silhouette came closer, any details showed. He had raven black hair and blue eyes; he wore assorted white and dark green clothing. A blue tattoo was visible on the right side of his face. I couldn't understand what I was feeling. I was happy that the guy with me just a few minutes ago left. I was anxious if this guy wouldn't be any better…I was just………lost…

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked

I kept silent

"Ah, The World is filled with idiots like that…"

I remained quiet and continued to stare at him

He sighed, "Don't worry, I don't bite, I'm Azakust" he said while leading his hand.

**She still kept staring at me; I tried to look for a way to make her open up "So…what are you doing here?"**

"That guy brought me here…"she said at a low voice

"I meant 'Why are you here in The World'?" I said, scratching the back of my head

"That's none of your business…" she crossed her arms

"Fine." I said throwing my hands in the air "Are you new here?"

"Am I that obvious?" she said raising an eyebrow

"Actually…yeah…" I said "Do you mind that I teach you then?"

"Um…sure…oh yeah, my name's Seianne." She gave a faint smile, I barely saw it.

We were in front of the chaos gate. "Okay, keyword creation will take time to master but you'll get it."

I taught her the basic stuff about keyword creation then, "So, want try it out?" I asked

"Uh…okay…" A few seconds passed before we left the Root Town

We arrived at a one level dungeon, a church towered the mysterious field. There was a broken bridge behind us that lead to a deep fall.

I sighed, _Why did have to you choose this one… _

"Is there something wrong?" she asked with her head tilted as she looked at me

"It's nothing…" I threw my hand at her, she shrugged

We entered the chapel and we gazed at the statue that stood at the altar, it was a girl in chains. She went a bit closer, and then I heard a sound. It sounded like a tuning fork when struck. I look around to find out where sound came from.

"Is something wrong?" Seianne asked she put her hands on her hips.

"Did you hear that?" I asked as I started to bring out my weapons

"Hear what?" she raised an eyebrow

_What are you talking about, didn't you hear that?_ I thought as I stared at her

"Well, I didn't hear anything…" she crossed her arms "…must've been your imagination." She turned around and looked back at the statue

"I hope so…" I whispered under my breath

We both look at the statue; it gave a sense of sadness the longer we look at it. "So…what's the story here?"

"Well, I can't say much about it…" I said as I scratched the back of my head "…it appeared here around a year ago. A lot of weird things happened that time, this weird barbell-shaped monster roamed around the game. The person that controlled it was a Wave Master; he had some kinda special power, not sure what but that doesn't matter. Then the leader of the Crimson Knights disbanded the group for some reason, I think she got fed up with the knights, they changed a lot from what they were like before. Then one day; everyone around the world that was playing 'The World' (that doesn't sound right…) got disconnected from the game. It took at least a few hours before the game was restored, then people found this statue a few days later…"

"Uh ok…" she nodded; I think she didn't get it.

"Well…I just say it's some sorta decoration more or less…"

"But don't you find it weird?" she tilted her head on one side to the other to get a better look at it

"What's weird?" I raised an eyebrow

"…the statue itself, why did it have to be a girl in chains?"

"I dunno." I shrugged

"Ah, who cares…" she threw her hands in the air.

---REALWORLD---

"**Hello…" I knocked at the main door of the Dela Oyan residence, "…anybody home…?" the compound was silent.**

I took a deep breath then let myself in. "Hey Ash! Why weren't ya at practice...hello?" I shouted as I walked by the living room

"Yoo-hoo…anybody home?" I said as I stood at the foot of the staircase.

"I'm coming up now…" I walked up the wooden staircase.

I reached the top of the stairs, "Ash!!" I called and yet still no response. _Jeez… do you sleep like a rock or something?_ I shook my head and shrugged; I sighed then held the door knob. I sighed, "Alright…whether or not you know I'm here; I'm coming in…"

I opened the door then just froze there… "…ASH!!"

I dug in to my pockets for my cell phone, "I need an ambulance here, NOW!"

**Then my cellphone rang. **

"Could you hold it for a sec…?" I said as I took out my phone

"Uh…sure…" Zak said as he rests his hands on the back of his head.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Fall of a Hero, Rise of Another**

A/N: Don't hate me for what I'm gonna do but it's for the sake of the story.

_As I saw Yasuhiko's Character beaten up just like that, I just froze there and everything was blank……_

_It was mom who found me unconscious on the floor. The next day I tried to call Yasuhiko, but it was his mom who answered. She said that Yasuhiko was in the hospital. _

As soon as I got back from the hospital, I ran up into my room, closed the door behind me and then leaned back on it. 'Why only Yasuhiko, I was there…Why didn't I get hospitalized?' I thought as I sighed. I wiped off the sweat of my forehead with the sleeve of my jacket and looked at my computer…

Hmm…

---NETWORLD---

We arrived back at the root town Mac Anu.

"Um…" my partner spoke up

"Hmm?" I looked back at her to know what she wanted she took a good look at the virtual ground

"Uh…from all that happen today, I think I'll logout for now…" she said she warped away with a trace of golden rings that circled her and a chime as she left. I sighed, with nothing to go on for now I planned on logging out as well

Thirty Minutes Prior

**I ran around the 'so called' Delta server: Mac Anu. **

_I tried to learn as much as I can about this game, rumors and all…About anyone falling unconscious…_

_Character Name: BlackRose_

_-Level 1 Heavy Blade_

_-preferred weapon TYPE: Two-Handed Heavy Sword Type_

_Then I tried looking around that Chaos Gate, or whatever it was called, hey I'm just new to this game…gimme a break…_

_I found a ahemshortahem green-clothed player who just warped in…maybe he can help me…_

"_I know this keyword: it's Delta: Hidden Forbidden Holy ground can you come with me?"_

**Without knowing much, I decided to go with her.**

_Character Name: Kite_

_-Level 1 Twin Blade_

_-preferred weapon TYPE: Double Short Sword Type_

_A/N: My version of Kite is gonna be more open but just a little bit._

_Yellow rings around us disappeared as we arrived at the said field, "C'mon let's go!" As we entered the chapel; our eyes got fixed on the statue that towered the altar. We both continued walking towards it, and then a goblin appeared. "What the heck is that!" she shouted, I just jumped at it then killed it. "I-is it dead?"_

"……"_I sighed_

"_Hey you should answer me!"_

" :-) "

"_That's just rude, really, really rude!"_

"_Sorry…"I held the back of my head 'Jeez…lighten up will ya?' I sighed_

"_You didn't even need by help at all, did you? By the way..."_

"_Hmm?"_

"_I guess you can tell that I'm a newbie too, huh?" _

"_Yeah…" I said_

"_It must be pretty obvious by the way I acted back there."_

_-_

_We stepped up to the statue; I tried to read the plate embedded on the stone base of the statue "Skeith…Innis…Magus… that's all I can read…"_

"_Hey Kite…"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Don't you get the feeling that the statue seems sad?"_

"……"

_The door slammed open behind us, "What are you two doing here?" A voice shouted. We turned around to see who it was, he had a knightly figure: he had snow-white hair and a red bandana underneath; his armor color was mostly blue and gray, and a pair of wings flown down his back. _

"_Get out here, it's too dangerous!" he said as he ran towards us. But then, a large monster jumped from above. The knight slashed his way through the huge monster hoping to destroy it just like that. He successfully hit it but, instead of it dematerializing, weird graphics appeared on the monster. "This one too…?"_

**The monster evolved to a data bug **

_Character Name: Balmung_

_-Level 60 Blade Master_

_-preferred weapon TYPE: One-Handed Sword Type_

"_So you're the reason why Kaz is in the hospital!" the Heavy Blade shouted then she charged directly at it_

"_No, it's too dangerous!" I yelled_

'_Dammit…' I said as I prepared myself for the worst, and then the Twin Blade suddenly emitted a bright light. "What the…?" from his original green shade he shifted to a red orange color. 'This is…' The Twin Blade acted like his right hand was possessed; his hand wildly shun a great flash of light that broke in to numerous beams, then struck the monster, 'There's no doubt…'. As I watched the monster goes back to its original state I took the opportunity of killing it._

"_That skill, now I understand." after the monster dematerialized. I turned to them, "You are the same as the virus. To think that I was saved by someone like you!"_

"_No! that's not... I don't even know what's-"_

"_Do not lie to me!" I said "Recently many places within 'The World' have been damaged by a virus. Those who willfully spread the virus and destroy this world for their own amusement, they... they shall receive no mercy!"_

"_No! That's not me! I..."_

"_You're no different to the databugs…" I said "Draw your sword!"_

"_I won't!" the Twin Blade replied_

"_What?"_

"_That's hardly the way to talk to someone who just saved your life!"_

_-_

A/N: I don't really need to show this part fully, you guys probably know this part very well anyway. I'm so damn lazy ; P

Present

**I checked out my e-mails and got one from BlackRose.**

It says that she's willing to be at my side when ever I'll call. A smile formed on my face; I never expected that after what I saw in her. At first when we just met, she scolded me for doing practically nothing, what would you're first impression be? And there were also the parts she was acting high and mighty and all.

Then I checked the message boards, and then I decided to make a topic on comatose players. And after that, back in to The World.

---NET WORLD---

Back in to the Root Town, I decided to ask around for rumors

"Players going unconscious? Sorry never heard of any…"

"Nope, sorry."

"People going missing? In The World? You're joking right?"

"Try the message boards, but don't always believe in everyone in there."

"Uh, thanks, I guess…" I sighed, I was going nowhere

Then, "So what do you know about it?" I froze then I turned to where the voice came from. It was a guy raven black hair with blue eyes; he wore assorted bluish white and dark green-rimmed clothing. A blue tattoo was visible on the right side of his face. He held a staff on his left hand and held his sheathed blade with his right. He had a friendly smile on his face, and then people around started whispering

_-'Hey, it's that new Weapons Master…'_

_-'His name is Azakust right?'_

_-'Did he really clear the test in 0.014 seconds left?'_

_-'He's really something…'_

_-'But he's still a green horn compared with Hareil…'_

_-'He was a Wave Master when he took the test…'_

_-'Now that's hard…'_

_-'Hareil was like that too'_

_-'Yeah, in fact he took the old version of the trial when it was nearly impossible to beat'_

_-'Do you think Zak is from Tokyo?'_

'Azakust……Weapons Master, I never saw that class when I was making my character.' I thought

"Hey, you're new here aren't you?" he asked as he held my shoulder. "Why not we go for a dungeon run?"

"Huh? But I don't–"

"Oh right, the name's Azakust. So… wanna come?"

"Look its Zak!" a voice screamed, I looked at Zak and he had an uneasy look on his face

"C'mon, let's go." He pulled me by the hand

**I looked back and I was right, it was them.**

"What exactly is happening?" the Twin Blade clad in orange asked

"I'll explain later, but now…" I assembled a party with him and me. We arrived at the Chaos Gate, I picked a random field and we were out of there.

We warped in to the field, I sat down on the nearby rock to catch my breath. "So," the Twin Blade started "why were we running?"

"Well, their kinda like unwanted company…" I started

"But they looked pretty happy to see you."

"What do you expect, it's my fan club… / "

"Wow, you've got a fan club?" he grinned "You must be really famous if that's the case."

"Yeah, I've been the hottest topic for the past week. I think I've spent more time running away from them than fighting off monsters."

":-)" the Twin Blade gave off a chuckle

"What's so funny?"

"It's nothing…"

"-- ………"

"Huh?"

"Well, let's get back to what we were supposed be doing."

"A girl?" I asked

"Yeah, from what I know, her name's Aura."

_Aura? Where have I heard that name before?_ I asked myself

"She was running away from something…a statue-like monster, and it held a red, cross-shaped wand. Yasuhiko and I chased it down, but we ended up at a dead end. Then we continued down the dungeon until we reached the treasure room. As soon as we left…" Kite fell silent

"Is something wrong?" I asked raising an eyebrow

"…uh, it's nothing. Well anyway, as soon as we left, the ground shook. Then suddenly we were at this weird field, green hexagons were everywhere. Then the girl appeared again she said something then gave Yasuhiko a book."

"Did she describe it or something?"

"'A great force. The power it holds can bring forth either salvation or destruction, at the whim of the user.' "

"Hmm, a great force huh?"

-

---REAL WORLD---

**I've been in Ash's room for a couple of hours now.**

Then the nurse came in. I stood up and approached her, "Is Ash gonna be alright?" I asked

"We're not really sure of what happened to your friend so we can't tell for sure," I looked down in disappointment "but don't worry we're doing our best."

As soon as she finished her routine check-up, she left the room. Once again, leaving the both of us all alone, all I could hear was the beeping of the ECG.

I sat back down on the chair beside the bed.

Ash just laid there, as though she was just sleeping.

"Ash…"

"So this is the coma patient…" An eerily calm voice said before me. I jumped out of my chair. I look to see who it was. There stood a woman on a white coat, so assume it was the doctor assigned to Ash. She had long raven hair, which reached all the way to her waist. Her skin was quite pale, in a good way. What really struck me were her eyes, they were cold cobalt blue.

She walks toward the bed, "Mmm… She's quite young…"

The woman strokes Ash's hair, she smiled. I winced as I looked at the doctor, I was getting the same impression of a butcher sizing up a piece of meat.

---NETWORLD---

**A cold shiver went down my back.**

"What's up Ash? Something wrong?" Kite asked. We were in the middle of a battle.

It was really hard to explain it but… I just felt a really, REALLY creepy feeling… Though it was sorta nice…

"Uh… Err… nothing… just a cold feeling."

---REAL WORLD---

**The doctor looks at me.**

"Hello, I am Dr. Cynthia Wen, it's nice to meet you." She offers her hand.

When I shook it, it was soft and surprisingly gentle "I-I'm Seiah…"

She smiles at me, she probably understands why I was stammering.

"Sorry about that, it's an impulsive habit of mine. You must be her friend."

Ms. Wen smiled a little mischievously, "Or maybe say… her girlfriend?"

"N-no…uh…w-we…um…we're just…friends, yeah… just friends…" I tried to force a convincing smile, but I guess it was obvious.

"Just playing…" she smiled again


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Close to the Heart **

A/N: Okay, two months really took me long so now in compensation I 'm gonna put chapters four and five ASAP. And I finally found someone to help me out with my fic.

_When I thought it was safe to log back in…_

**---NETWORLD---**

As soon as I arrived at the Chaos Gate, I walked in to the nearest alley. I never liked crowd, that's why I always try to look for ways to avoid them……

"I never expected to you to log back in this early…" a voice spoke out. I turned around to find a green and white, female Wave Master with a gold circlet that held her blonde hair.

"This is the only way I can see Mariko during weekdays…" a small blush formed on my cheeks, I had to change the topic. "So how's my dad?" I asked "I mean……when I'm not around."

"You mean Ryo? The usual, but he seems to be quieter if you're not around." She sat down on the nearby barrel

**The silver-gray haired Wave Master leaned on the wall.**

"So, what are you doing here?" The young Wave Master asked.

"I just felt like it…"

"Tsukasa…" a young female Heavy Axe clad mostly in light blue walked in to the alley, "Oh BT, you're here as well?"

"Subaru…" Tsukasa uttered, a slight blush played on the Wave Master's cheeks. Then I received a flash e-mail. I read the contents of the short mail.

'Something's up….meet me at our usual spot…

- Bear '

I sighed "I think I should go now…"

"But you just got…" Tsukasa started

"Don't worry about it, someone needs me right now." I stood up and started my way out of the alley. "And anyway, I'll be leaving the two of you alone." Tsukasa's blush became redder.

**Theta: Soft Organ Market Pilgrimage**

A man wearing a white trench coat frowns as he walks around the rainy grass field. Somehow he felt uncomfortable being here, this place had a strange atmosphere to it.

_This is where Ash was before she got into a coma…_

His instincts were something he rarely didn't trust in situations like this, he was a Guardian after all.

Character Name: Hareil

-Level 57 Weapons Master

-preferred weapon combination: twin long swords

-REAL NAME: James "Jim" Leigh Lightning

-OCCUPATION: Businessman

He unlocks his weapon's sheathes, with one fluid motion he draws two long swords, turns around and slashes at what was behind him.

The person behind him narrowly blocks his attack with his spear. He had short spike white hair, he looked similar to Crim, the crimson lightning, except his clothes were colored white. And his weapon was a Chinese Guan-Dao named God of War.

"Really Hareil," Ymir Draco frowned.

Character Name: Ymir Draco

-Level 84 Long-Arm

-preferred weapon TYPE: Long spear

-REAL NAME: Nikolai Arnold Armstrong

-OCCUPATION: Head Bodyguard for a popular violinist

"Sorry," Hareil muttered as he sheathes his weapons. "I thought you weren't coming."

Ymir frowned even more, "How can you say that to an old buddy? Be thankful I even bother finding time for this."

He smiles tiredly, "Sorry."

"Whatever," Ymir looks around. "This place gives me the creeps… Why the heck did Zak went here anyway?"

"Something he got in the mail," he replied. "It was about some unbeatable monster or something like that."

Both men, like Balmung and Orca, worked for CC corp. in sorts. They were one of the game's play testers before it was released. Hareil had requested access to Azakust's account where he had read his mail to find clues to his fate.

"You don't really believe in that crap, do you?"

"I didn't," Hareil sighed. "But right now, I don't know."

"I did a little checking on those people who went into coma whilst playing the game, turns out they're five of them. All of them were playing 'The World' when it happened."

Ymir nods, "I see. Do you think it has anything do with this game?"

"We were still experimenting on neural goggles when 'The World' came out." Hareil reminded him of the project when they worked together.

"Right…" Draco sighed, "When that 'Flash' came… it's a possibility it's a lesser version…"

- Sound of A-note -

Both men turned to the direction of the sound, weapons ready.

"You heard that?" Ymir asked.

"Sure did," Hareil once again draws his swords, "C'mon."

**I leaned with my back against the bridge railings of Mac Anu.**

Gossips, rumors, trading……..the usual hum of the busy root town. I loss count of how many people passed by but she still hasn't arrived yet. She told me that she was going to be early this time……but I could have sworn that I just saw that so-called renegade Wave Master from about eight months ago… Was his name Tsubasa? Something like that… Ah, that's not important now…

'I still can log out?' I thought. I tried again a while ago and ended up unsuccessful yet again. 'I wonder how I'm doing in the real world…'

Then, I saw Seianne. When I came close to her she had a frown was painted on her sad face. "What's wrong?"

"Ah…." She stammered, she didn't probably realize that I was there. "I-it's nothing… really…" She tried to give me a smile. We continued to stare at each others face. "Alright, alright …I'll tell…"

"**What!?" Zak's outburst broke the noise of the town's busy section.**

The people stared at us, and then they started whispering. I just shouldn't have said that. Why did I have to talk Ash's condition? The embarrassment forced me to give the digital ground close attention. But why did he react that way? Does this guy know Ash?

Then the Weapons Master's laughter filled the almost quiet square. I looked up to Zak, wondering about his amusement. "You've got to be kidding me…." He continued laughing.

I raised an eyebrow at his statement, this is a serious matter…but this guy makes it look like a game. How can a person coma be so hilarious?

"You need to relax, don't worry about it…" he took my hand and led me to the Chaos Gate "…a dungeon adventure can relieve stress, I can guarantee that…" he formed the party then we left the town.

**We warped in to the random snow field.**

In side, Zak started to walk deeper in to the dungeon "What was that all about? A comatose isn't-" Zak stopped

"Funny? Something to laugh at?" Zak cut me off "I'm fully aware of that y'know." He continued walking

"But you just laughed it off back there, I thought you weren't serious and…..." I followed him in to the dungeon

"There were too many eyes and ears around us that time." He slashed the smiley ray in half. "I had to look for a way for us to have some privacy." He seemed pretty hesitated.

"Hey tell me……what's wrong?" right there he just missed the iron ball (is that even possible?). He shook his head then dashed towards the large monster. The monster dropped down. "Tell me……is something wrong?"

He sighed then settled down. "So Ash is in a coma in the real world huh? So what if I told you, there was this guy who couldn't log out, and now he wonders on how's the player, the real life self and-"

"Can we just get to the point?"

"Seiah, can you just-" silence filled the room. How did he know my real world name?

_Lub dub ' …_I…' Zak hesitated

_Lub dub '…_I think I…'

_Lub dub '…'._I think I have to say it…'

"**You mean…"**

I shook my head, "Yeah…it's me, Ash…" I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, some sort of nervous dance. "Look, Seiah…" I held the girl by the shoulders "…no one should know about this…" our faces were almost at contact, somehow I could feel her heavy breathing, or it could just be my imagination. But nothing seems normal since that time…

Seiah started to blush, "Ash…"

"Please……" I pressed on

"S-sure…" I let go of here and she couldn't set her eyes on me. I tilted my head to one side to get a better look at her

**There's just too much happening all at the same time.**

'_Or maybe…her girlfriend?_' Ms. Wen's words echoed in my mind. I had to force that perverted idea out. We're just friends but, this feeling is too overwhelming.

"Are you all right?" Ash asked

I nodded, "I'm alright…"

**Ymir and I, like a pair of idiots, went straight toward where we believe the sound came from. **

When we this weird monster, it looked like a barbell with a ring between the two large orbs. It came out of nowhere, almost as though it materialized out of nothing.

"What the heck is that?" Ymir asked, donning the God of War.

"Your guess is as good as mine," I replied.

The thing, whatever it was, attacked immediately as it became aware of us. Ymir and I dodge the tentacles that shot out of its body.

Ymir responds by casting a spell, "BiAni Don!"

Two balls of dark element fell over the thing, both dealing roughly 200 damage. That's when we realized that its health meter wasn't showing anything but a muddle of letters and numbers.

"What the hell…?" Ymir mutters are he dodges the monster's attack again. "Is this that undefeatable monster they're talking about?"

He manages to dodge all of the monster's attacks however one tentacle manages to hit him in the shoulder. Ymir screams when he felt the pain. He said to me later that it came along with it was a familiar feeling he had felt back when he was in the Russian army, it was the lingering touch of death.

"Arnold!" I scream out my friend's real name as I pull out one of my axes. I drive the thing down hard, cutting the tentacle. Ymir falls to his knees, gasping, clutching on the spot where the thing's tentacle struck.

"Arnold, you okay?-!" I look at him over my shoulder as I stood between him and the monster. I stow away the axe and switch back to my two long swords. I cast a healing spell as I did so. It helped a bit, easing the feeling he still had.

"I'm fine…" Ymir replied weakly. "But I actually felt that…"

I frown and look back the monster. _Oh man, what the heck did I get us into…?_

"Arn," I called to him. "We'll have to run for it."

"No point trying to get away," Ymir stood up, he tightens his grip on the God of War. "I want a piece of this thing."

"And Jim," He said as he stood beside me. "In here, I'm called Ymir Draco."

I shook my head and smirked, "Right…"

The barbell monster shoots another salvo, this time we were ready. I dodge and cut the tentacles at they went at me, this pissed the thing off and began focusing on me more. Ymir runs toward it and jumps, he uses his Triple doom sweep skill. As he did so, I jumped in the fray as well. I switch my swords with a heavy blade weapon, I followed up Ymir's attack with a heavy downward slash. The force of the attack made the thing lower itself, it gives out another ugly cry.

Ymir attacks again, "Repulse Cage!"

I attacked the same time, "Hayabusa!"

After that, I change my weapon again, switching to a Wave master's staff. "Ani Kruz!"

As it was stuck in place because of the spell, Ymir hits it with another Repulse Cage. I followed with a Vak Drive with a blademaster weapon. The thing's health meter wasn't reacting to our attacks, but we didn't care about that. Its screams were getting louder and louder, we figured we were hurting it. I just hoped it couldn't take any much more 'cause I wasn't sure how much more we can dish out.

**I looked up at the statue of the chained girl.**

We waited patiently for the player character I called.

"So what is it that you wanted to talk about, Zak?" a voice called. I turned around "It has to be pretty special to arrange a meeting alone." The PC looked at my Blade Master companion. "Who's your friend?"

"Sorry about that Kite, I just wanted to make sure you're partner wouldn't come." I said "Kite this is-"

"Seianne, nice to meet you.……" She extended her hand

"I'm Kite…" they shook hands

"So," Kite turned to me "Why don't you want BlackRose here anyway?"

"It'll just get even more complicated if she gets involved in this conversation." I rolled my eyes.

"Why do we have to keep her out of this?"

"I just told you…." I crossed my arms

"But-"

"…it's about the girl you saw, you know Aura?"

"Yeah? What about it?" Kite raised an eyebrow

"Was she a small silver haired girl dressed in a red robe marked with an infinity symbol and her hair is decorated with crimson ribbons?"

"No……she did have silver hair but was in a white robe…..."

"What?"

Flashback

_In the darkness that followed, after that Twin Blade finished me off, I felt like I was falling down an endless abyss. It felt like the darkness would never end. Then at that very moment, a ray of light appeared. Then a hand reached out for my hand._

"_Are you alright?" a small voice asked. I opened my eyes to find a small girl __dressed in a red robe_ _marked with an infinity symbol. She had short silver hair decorated with crimson ribbons._

"_W-who are you?" I asked. She helped me sit up. I found myself in a completely borderless white room. All that was present in the room were me, the girl, and a field of red flowers. I'm not really sure what kind of flower it was, but it looked like Gloriosa flowers. _

_She picks up one of the flowers "Please take this, she needs your help. And this is the only way you can defeat the one like me that follows you." The flower floats towards me._

_I took the flower "What am I supposed to do with this? And who's 'she'? Who's' the one like you that follows me'?"_

"_You're the only one who can stop the shadow that haunts you, and help Aura."_

"_Aura……?" I froze then I shook it of "So what is this anyway?" I held the flower she gave me._

"_It contains the power that can change this world and the power to save 'her'. "She started to disappear_

"_Wait! I don't even know who you are!"_

"_I am an unwanted child…... Even God doesn't want me……"_

"_You're not making any sense!" I cried, but she continued do fade away "Wait! At least give me your name!" But it was too late, she was gone…_

End of flashback

_So who was that then?_ I thought. If she wasn't Aura….Who was she?

"Is something wrong?" Seiah asked. I didn't realize that I was silent for quite a long time.

"Sorry about that and sorry about calling you out, you've must've been busy when I called you."

"Don't worry, I just logged in."

"Well, sorry anyway…" as I opened my menu,

"Get out of the way!" Kite pushed me away. I saw the black Twin Blade, in return I pulled Kite out of the way as well. We had a rough landing but we picked our selves up.

"Ash! Kite!" Seianne cried

"Move away from him!" I ordered, Seiah ducked to avoid the black Twin Blade's attack. She slipped away him and dashed towards us.

"Is this him?" We went in to our battle stances.

I nodded "Uh huh…" The black Twin Blade dashed toward us, we jumped away from each other. A large hole was made where we stood just a moment ago. "Watch out!" I yelled.

"Wha-?" the Twin Blade went for Kite. He sent Kite flying straight to the wall and dropping down painfully.

"Repth!" Seiah casted.

"Thanks." Kite got up "Seiah! Behind you!" I jumped in front of her I blocked his attack but he over powered me and pushed the both of us back. I landed on my feet and caught Seianne "Drop the mask…who are you?" but I still end up being hit with his boomerangs. Kite rushed to me, I laid down painfully "Are you alright?" the two asked

"I've been better…" I groaned, and then I pushed them away and parried the black Twin Blade's attack then threw him off with a circle throw. "Kite!" I shouted. "Use that skill!"

The black Twin Blade landed on his feet, "Kagami……must……terminate……"

"Kagami?" Seianne repeated

"I….I-I can't…." Kite stammered "He has to be in Protect Break…"

"Ash!!" Seiah screamed

"What?!" I didn't realize that the black Twin Blade was already right in front of me. He threw me off and sent me to the guard rail of the altar.

I groaned, it seemed hopeless, the only way of getting him in Protect Break is softening him up but we can barely get a scratch on him. I was on the verge of giving up

Her voice echoed, '_You're the only one who can stop the shadow that haunts you,' _I am worth it? '…_and help Aura.'_

"Aura…" I brought out the flower.

'_Bring it close to your heart…'_ I brought it to my chest

'_Please, give me you're name…'_ A bright light filled the whole field

'……_I am……'_

**The thing, whatever it was began screaming.**

Hareil and I were breathing hard, I don't remember know how long we've been hitting this thing, all I can say was we're really tired by then. The thing continued to screamed, it sounded like a whale, like the humpbacks I've seen when I was a kid, when I still lived in Russia. It was crying, calling for someone to help.

At one point it, finally fades away. But the screaming took longer to stop, it faded slowly, very slowly. I could tell it tried to come back, the sound got a little louder at some points, but not to the point.

It took about five minutes to stop.

Hareil looked at me, still holding his spear ready, "You willing to bet whether or not this actually over?"

"Somehow," I said. "I wouldn't bet on it right now."

Almost as if they were waiting for an entrance, that's when the graphics of the space the thing where the thing was began fluctuating.

"Me neither," Hareil replied.

**SYSTEM CRASH**

I tried the restart my computer login again but an error message said:

_WE APPRECIATE YOU FOR PLAYING THE WORLD. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE SERVERS ARE UNDERGOING EMERGENCY MAINTANANCE OPERATIONS. WE WILL NOTIFY YOU ONCE THEY ARE OPERATIONAL. HAVE A GOOD DAY._

I sighed then stretched, I never knew that I could sit still for three hours.

**The bright light already disappeared.**

Then I noticed that I'm the only one who was still at the cathedral. Zak wasn't there. Seianne wasn't there. The black Twin Blade wasn't there too. Just me.

**---REAL WORLD---**

I arrived in front of Ash's room. Upon entering Ms. Wen was about to leave. "Good Afternoon Ms. Wen……how's Ash?" a slight smile played on her lips.

"Why not you see for yourself?" she pushed the door wide open. I couldn't believe my eyes……

"Hi there, Seiah……"

**I was pretty sure Seiah was really happy to see Ash awake.**

"Ash!" She cried. I smiled at her reaction "You idiot……I was so worried…." She held her friend tightly. Ash caressed her back, trying to comfort her

I left the room and then closed the door, they needed sometime alone. It was just three days but for her it lasted like forever. I took a look at the patient's report. Ashley Nicole De la Oyan……that name felt so familiar.

"Excuse me Doctor," a voice called out. I looked around to see where the voice came from. It was a man in a rather casual clothing. He wore a collared green striped T-shirt under a well kept black leather jacket and dark blue jeans with blue Converse sneakers. His hair was fixed in to a messy spiky manner. "…may I ask about the Coma patient?"

**A knock struck at the door.**

"May I come in?" a voice called from the outside. Then right after that, the door opened. "Excuse me," a man entered the room. "Which of you is…" he fumbles in his pocket a small notebook. He flipped the pages and finally found what he was looking for. "…Ashley?"

"That would be me, what do you want?" I asked.

He kept the notebook and cleared his throat. "Let me introduce myself," he gave me his card. "My name is Rommel Lee Gayo. I'm a newspaper journalist."

"Well I've never heard of you before…" Seiah commented

"Hey I just started here okay?" Seiah rolled her eyes "Anyway, tell me everything about the whole incident, falling into a coma for no exact reason."

"Well…" I started "I'm not really sure, but……" I clenched the blanket tightly

-

"The World?" Rommel asked

"Y-yeah…." I stared out the window watching the setting sun

"And you can't logout?" he asked

"Yup…"

"You're not playing with me, are you?" he pointed his pen at me. I nodded, and then he sighed. "I doubt that anyone would believe that a person would fall in to a comatose state because of an online game." He scratched the back of his head. "Are you sure it was nothing you ate or did before that?"

"I told you, it was the game!" I looked back at him

He closed his notebook and shrugged, "I think I'll come back when you're completely recovered, I think you still don't have a full grasp of yourself yet…" he stood up and took his jacket. "I'll ask the doctor when you will be released." He opened the door then left the room.

I plopped down on the bed and sighed '_The World isn't safe anymore…'_

'_**Dammit, that kid is hiding something,'**_

I thought as I leaned back of that patient's room. '…_but what?'_ In luck, I came passed another doctor. "Excuse me please…"

**After a short silence, someone else barged into the room.**

He looked like a middle-aged age man. He wore black coat a white polo shirt with a slight tint of blue and black slacks. He held a cane and wore black loafers

"Who are you?" Seiah asked

"Is this the room of a kid name Nash?" he said in a cool tone

"You mean Ash…"

"Whatever, it still sounds dorky. So is that you?" Seiah chuckled at the remark

"That's none of your business."

"It pretty much is, I'm her neurologist, the name's Dr. Keith Hughes." He held something like my patient's report "And Dr. Wen told me to give my diagnosis about her."

"Oookaaay…." I raised an eyebrow

-

"…basically, there isn't a thing wrong with your chump of a friend, however…"

Seiah frowned, "However… what?"

"Oh just wanted to be dramatic," Dr. Hughes said.

– Sweat drop –

"Anyway," he continued. "There was something unusual, her brain activity was high, despite being in a coma. Normally, when you're in a coma, your brain tends to be less active just like when you're asleep. However your hubby over here…"

"I'm not her girlfriend!"

"Oh sure…" He said in a flat tone, "And denial is a river in Egypt."

Seiah glares at him, fighting the urge to wring his neck.

"For your friend when she was still down and out, it's almost as though she was awake."

**---NETWORLD**---

**I warped back into the Root Town.**

I looked up to the digital twilight sky, 'Aura' I uttered. I looked at the root town, it was deserted. I walked around the dead silent Mac Anu. My footsteps could be heard a mile away. NPCs were barking as usual but there were no PCs at sight. I decided to go back to the Chaos Gate. As I was about to log out, "Where were you?" a familiar voice called out. "I've been looking all over for you…"

I hesitantly turned around and scratched my cheek. "H-hi there BlackRose…" I said in the nervous tone.

"Kite……" BlackRose sighed and then placed her hands on her hips. "Well, since we're both here, let's check out that keyword from the message board." She grabbed my arm and warped the both of us to the field.

**Ymir and I held our weapons ready.**

After taking down that last bogey, we may have gotten a little cocky. But then again we were Special Forces men, I was a former US green beret and Arnold – that's Ymir's real name – was a former elite member of Russian Spetnats. We weren't going to let some whacked programming beat us. Hooboy… Were we asking for it.

The new hostile was starting to fully materialize, it looked like a twin blade. We armed up, ready for anything. Or so we thought.

I widened my eyes when the face fully materializes. It was partially obscured by bandages, but I could tell who it was.

I heard rumors on what happened to Curl a couple of months back, but thought it was just some silly rumor. It was the internet, what do you expect?

"Sora?"

**---REAL WORLD---**

After that old coot of a neurologist left, it was just me and Seiah in the room. '…it's almost as though she was awake…' it echoed.

"So I think that explains why I was still online even though I was in a coma…"

"Y'know, maybe we should just lay this off until you're fully recovered and outta here." Seiah took the remote and turned on the T.V that rested on the corner of the room.

'_In world news today, Tokyo, Japan…two junior high school students were found unconscious in front of a computer in their club house at school. Fourteen year old, Mai Minase and Kasumi Tomonari were rushed immediately to the Takeda general hospital.' _

"I-I'll just turn it off…" Seiah said hesitantly

"Wait." I stopped her.

'_One of the students, Mai Minase already came to when she was brought to the hospital. Although the other student, Kasumi Tomonari, has not yet regained consciousness. Doctors are still trying to confirm the reason for the mysterious incident, but some say that this was due to the online game called The World….'_

"Does this mean…" Seiah started

"…I'm not the only one…"

There, Chapter three is up. I'm already done with Rebirth, for now all I need is to complete the item list. 5 more items to go! About the next fic of mine, I think I'll save it until I have a //GU Reminisce.


End file.
